What Do Fish and Game Wardens Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Fish and Game Wardens patrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations. Investigate reports of damage to crops or property by wildlife. Compile biological data. They also patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land.

Other tasks include:

• Compile and present evidence for court actions.
• Investigate hunting accidents or reports of fish or game law violations.
• Protect and preserve native wildlife, plants, or ecosystems.
• Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary.
• Serve warrants and make arrests.
• Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required.

We asked Fish and Game Wardens how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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70% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 72% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Fish and Game Wardens protect and preserve native wildlife, plants, or ecosystems. They patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land.

A typical day for a Fish and Game Warden will also include:

• Design or implement control measures to prevent or counteract damage caused by wildlife or people.
• Provide advice or information to park or reserve visitors.
• Inspect commercial operations relating to fish or wildlife, recreation, or protected areas.
• Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary.
• Investigate hunting accidents or reports of fish or game law violations.

We asked some Fish and Game Wardens a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	90% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	40% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	76% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	85% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	7% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	51% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Fish and Game Wardens also seize equipment used in fish and game law violations. They may also collect and report information on populations or conditions of fish and wildlife in their habitats, availability of game food or cover, or suspected pollution.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Fish and Game Wardens Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required. They might also Compile and present evidence for court actions.

In addition, they Arrange for disposition of fish or game illegally taken or possessed.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary.

To some Fish and Game Wardens, it is also their responsibility to Survey areas and compile figures of bag counts of hunters to determine the effectiveness of control measures.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as a Fish and Game Warden, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm

https://www.bja.gov/

http://www.theiacp.org/

http://www.dhs.gov/